JOHNSON CITY, Tenn. (September 8, 2011) – Following a tough weekend at the Blue Raider Bash against three NCAA Tournament opponents from a year ago, the ETSU volleyball team looks to get back to its winning ways at the Country Inn & Suites Invitational hosted by Chattanooga, this weekend.

The Bucs begin the two-day tournament against longtime rival UNC Asheville on Friday morning at 11:00 a.m. inside Maclellan Gym, before taking on host Chattanooga at 6 p.m. The Bucs conclude the tournament on Saturday against Tennessee Tech at 2 p.m.

ETSU heads into the weekend with a 3-5 overall record after dropping four matches at the Blue Raider Bash over the weekend. The Bucs dropped matches against 2010 NCAA Tournament participants, MTSU (3-0), Missouri (3-0) and Austin Peay (3-1), while also falling to FIU (3-1).

Sophomore outside hitter Megan Devine (Kingsport, Tenn.) continues her early season dominance following four straight matches of 10 or more kills at the Blue Raider Bash. She has recorded 10 or more kills in seven of the eight matches this season. In addition, her performance earned her all-tournament honors for the second straight week. After two weeks of play, Devine ranks second in the league in both points (4.76 p/set) and kills (4.21 p/set).

As a team, the Bucs rank at the top of the league once again in blocks at 2.13 blocks per set. In addition, the Bucs rank second in the A-Sun in opponent’s hitting percentage at .212.

After finishing second in the A-Sun in blocks last season behind former teammate Alysa Long, senior Jamie Stancliff (Advance, N.C.) currently leads the league in blocks at 1.00 per set. She is coming off of a stellar 10 block performance against FIU, which also tied her career-high for blocks in a match.

Admission for the entire tournament is free of charge. Parking for the event can be found in the garage off of Third Street or any of the McKenzie Arena lots. For fans unable to make the trip, live stats and live video for all matches of the invitational can be found on the tournament page or volleyball schedule page at GoMocs.com.

Scouting the Opponents

UNC Asheville heads into the weekend with a 3-4 record after going 2-2 last weekend at the Gamecock Invitational. The Bulldogs defeated Elon and Gardner-Webb, while falling against Davidson and South Carolina. Cindi Miller leads UNCA offensively with 3.20 kills per set. ETSU defeated UNCA in the Buccaneer Classic last season, 3-1, as the Bucs finished the match with a 19-7 advantage in blocks. ETSU leads the all-time series against UNCA 21-20.

Chattanooga enters the weekend with a 1-6 record after most recently dropping three matches at the Kennesaw State Owls Invitational. The Mocs won their first match of the year against Northwestern State. A balanced attack of Christina Teter (2.52 k/s), Ellie Kuhn (2.37 k/s), Jennifer Kuroski (2.59 k/s) and Heather Parman (2.27 k/s) lead the Mocs on the offensive end. The Bucs defeated the Mocs 3-1 last season in Chattanooga. The win for the Bucs last year against the Mocs tied the all-time series, 29-29. The Bucs have played the Mocs more than any other opponent in the team’s history.

Tennessee Tech is still looking for its first win of the season after opening 0-7. The Golden Eagles have faced some stiff competition against the likes of Louisville, Georgia Tech, Kansas State, Lipscomb, Arkansas State, Charlotte and Belmont. Natalie Penrod leads the Tennessee Tech offense with 2.46 kills per set. Allison May leads the Golden Eagles defensively with 4.21 digs per set, which also ranks fourth in the Ohio Valley Conference. Tennessee Tech leads the all-time series against the Bucs 10-3. The two teams have not faced each other since 1997 as Tennessee Tech earned a 3-1 victory over ETSU.

Country Inn & Suites Invitational Full Schedule

Friday, Sep. 9:

ETSU vs. UNC Asheville – 11:00 a.m.

UNC Asheville vs. Tennessee Tech – 3:00 p.m.

ETSU vs. Chattanooga – 6:00 p.m.

Saturday, Sep. 10:

Tennessee Tech vs. Chattanooga – 10:00 a.m.

Tennessee Tech vs. ETSU – 2:00 p.m.

UNC Asheville vs. Chattanooga - 4:00 p.m.

For more information on ETSU volleyball please go to ETSUBucs.com and click on the volleyball link.